Despite my genuine desire to have all of my posts scheduled out during my time in Washington, it just didn’t end up happening… I apologize for being MIA the last few days! I am back home to Oregon now and am ready to get back in to the swing of things. I can’t think of a better way to kick off the weekend than with this stunning vineyard wedding by B. Jones Photography.

Chrissy and Nick were married at Karma Vineyards in Lake Chelan, Washington on a beautiful September day. From the beaming bride to the incredible location and all of the sweet details that filled the day, this is a wedding that you won’t soon forget! Read on to hear about all of the details, as well as the super sweet and almost unbelievable story of how these two met, straight from the bride herself!

From Chrissy:

Our moms met one summer at a mutual friend’s party and learned that they both lived on Flowing Lake in Snohomish Washington. Our moms immediately became very good friends and started getting together regularly. As their friendship grew and they started to learn more about one another they discovered that their children (Nick and I) were not only the same age but also single….that’s when the plotting began. Shortly after, Nick was out at the lake golfing with his dad when he met Theresa, my mother. He had no idea who she was or what the purpose of the meeting was but my mom came prepared and started firing questions off asking him all sorts of questions such as what he did for fun, where he worked, why he didn’t have a girlfriend and so on. Nick was caught off guard and probably thought my mom was crazy but after he left that day my mom looked at his mom and said “your son is going to marry my daughter”. Although we had heard great things about one another Nick and I had no real interest in meeting since we both lived in different states, me being in California and him in Washington but our moms were determined. That year my parents offered to pay for a plane ticket for me to come home for Thanksgiving which I thought was strange but I agreed, little did I know our moms had planned to spend Thanksgiving dinner together. Nick and I met Thanksgiving of 2010 and have been together ever since. We spent that same Christmas together and pretty much every weekend together up until our wedding day. Not only did I marry the man of my dreams but our families are very close which makes holidays that much more fun!

And here are the details of the proposal…

For my birthday Nick flew down to California where I assumed we were celebrating my birthday. When he landed he had me open my birthday card that explained for my birthday we were flying to Maui where we would be staying at the Ritz Carlton hotel for a three day weekend. I threw some things into a bag and off we went. After flying, renting a car and driving out to the part of the island we were staying at all we wanted to do when we got to the hotel was relax. I immediately threw on one of the bathrobes, opened a bottle of wine and settled into a lounge chair on our balcony that overlooked the ocean. Nick told me we had dinner reservations the following two nights at very nice restaurants but our plan was to just play it by ear our first night and explore our dining options. As the sun was setting Nick asked me to marry him (yes while I was in my bathrobe!). I could tell he was nervous because in between each sentence he kept kissing me, it was absolutely unforgettable. Turns out our parents knew exactly what was happening because a few minutes later the doorbell rang and room service delivered a celebratory bottle of champagne. The rest of the weekend in Maui was spent celebrating and planning the rest of our lives together.

What inspired you while planning your wedding?

I grew up in a house where my parents were always entertaining and throwing parties. Our inspiration for the wedding were our parents and our hope to throw a wedding party for all of our closest friends and family. Nick and I stayed focused on the things we enjoy most; good people, good food, good booze and a breathtaking ambiance. We chose our favorite winery Karma Vineyards as our venue because it’s a place that is so beautiful and authentic the wedding sort of plans itself. We stayed simple and traditional in a lot of ways and I think the simplicity of the day made the wedding genuinely romantic.

What were some of your favorite moments from your wedding day?

My favorite moment of the wedding day was walking down the aisle. My best friend Hannah Weeks from Nashville sung the song Middle of a Memory while playing the guitar as I walked down the aisle. Not only was the song itself incredibly romantic but it’s also a once in a lifetime experience to see all your friends and family together at one of your favorite places, the sun lighting up the golden mountains in the background, my dad on my arm and my husband to be smiling as I walk towards him.

Did you have any DIY details? If so, please describe some of your favorites

Our guest book was a DIY detail that we threw together somewhat at the last minute. We found an old door and repainted it a washed white color that made the door look very rustic and strung string and clothespins across the door. We had a table set up with a polaroid camera for all our guests to take pictures as they arrived and during cocktail hour. On the bottom of the polaroid pictures was a place for guests to sign the picture and leave a little note. Not only did the guests enjoy the guest book but it was so much fun for Nick and I to look back on all the pictures the next morning. They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words and now we have a hundred to remember our special day and those we celebrated with us!

What were some of your favorite wedding day details?

It’s hard to pick just a few wedding day details because I truly felt the entire day was magical. However, I think the trolly ride the guests took up through the vineyards to the ceremony site made our wedding unique. Also, after the ceremony Nick and I went into the dimly lit tunnel room where we had a private vow reading, which was also special because it was our one time during the day where we got to escape and be together just us. Lastly, I think the outdoor dinner ambiance was set up perfect. The tables were outside tucked into a garden in the middle of the vineyards. The sun was setting just as dinner started so the majority of dinner was the pink streaked sky and the candle lit mason jars on each table. My dream was to have a candle lit dinner and I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out. Looking back I am happy I didn’t do centerpieces or big table decorations because nothing is more romantic than the soft light of candles.

What advice would you give future brides?

My advice for future brides is less is more. The most beautiful thing about a wedding is usually the intangible things that are out of your control. Pick a beautiful venue and good entertainment for the reception and the rest will all come together. Weddings that are too planned out feel staged and nothing is less romantic.

Thank you Chrissy for letting us relive your wedding day with you, and to Becca of B. Jones Photography for sharing these gorgeous photos with us.

You’re in for a real treat today! Jessica and Clint’s intimate wedding is filled with so many sweet handmade details, all handcrafted by the bride herself. Jessica created everything from the boutonnieres to the favors to the desserts to the signs, plus virtually all of the decor! Oh, and just wait until you see Jessica’s darling dress from Dolly Couture… *love.* Jessica and Clint’s wedding was held at the bride’s family home in Sebastopol, California, which was the perfect location for their intimate celebration.

My heart feels warm after looking at these photos! What a sweet wedding with so many darling details. Jessica put so much effort in to making this day so special for everyone in attendance, and her hard work truly paid off. Many thanks to Larsen’s Photography for sharing this lovely wedding with us. Be sure to check out their blog to see more of their fantastic work!

This is going to be a great week here at BT&B… I have 3 fabulous real weddings to share, a gorgeous inspiration shoot, a swoon-worthy engagement session, PLUS a giveaway that will be launching later today, so be sure to check back!

To kick things off, I know you will fall head over heels in love with this DIY beach wedding captured by Ashley Bartoletti Photography. I am obsessed with the color palette of aqua, yellow, and grey, and all of the DIY details that Amanda crafted.

Read on to hear about the wedding details, DIY projects, and some fantastic words of advice from the bride herself.

From Amanda: The venue where we got married, Levyland Estate in San Diego, CA, is a gorgeous house set on the Buena Vista Lagoon reserve and the Pacific Ocean. The lush, rustic feel of the 3 acre property is contrasted beautifully by the clean lines and modern architecture of the property, so we used this as our inspiration. We used light aqua, yellow and grey as our color palette, and incorporated fun bold patterns and whimsical elements.

I’d have to say that the best part of the day, other than getting married of course, was having all of our favorite people in one place. Derek and I both grew up in Southern California (we grew up 2 hours away from each other and never met until we both lived in Maui!) and now live in Washington, so getting married in San Diego was the perfect place for both of our friends and family to be able to celebrate with us.

I lived, ate, and breathed DIY for the year before the wedding. Making, baking, and crafting are my creative outlets normally, I sell my creations on Etsy (mandyrae3883.etsy.com) so it made perfect sense to incorporate those elements into the wedding too. I basically made everything! The ‘I do” & “We Did” signs marking the pathways to the ceremony and reception, our Save the Dates and invitations, the flower girls tutu, the chocolate mustache pops on the candy table as well as the “stache some candy for later” sign. I also made all of the cupcakes (and the cake plates they’re on too!), the small wedding cake (which is actually a dummy cake), the yarn wrapped letters on the bar, and the candy bags that I used my Gocco to print a thank you message on!

We had quite a few hiccups with the wedding planning, and there were a few times where I wanted to scream! One of the most challenging things was narrowing down our guest list, deciding who to invite and who not to invite is really hard. What was even harder was trying not to offend anyone when we had to make decisions on who was going to make the guest list and who wasn’t. We wanted to keep our wedding fairly intimate, and didn’t want the guest list to spiral out of control and turn into one of those weddings where the Bride and Groom hardly know anyone there. So, when it came down to our parents wanting more of their friends on the guest list, or people wanting to bring a guest who we didn’t know, we had to put our foot down. It didn’t always go so well, but we tried to be as delicate and tactful as possible.

One thing that really bothered me during the planning process, was other people throwing in their two cents. A lot of people seem to have their own ideas of what should and shouldn’t be done at a wedding, and when you try and do something outside of those parameters things can get really hairy. This happened over and over during our planning process because we decided to skip a lot of the traditional elements of the wedding, such as the toasts, cake cutting etc. We wanted to tie the knot, and then party, that’s it! So when I came across this quote, it was amazing! “A wedding is a party, not a performance. If at the end of the day you are married to the one you love, then everything went perfectly.” Whenever things got overwhelming and I felt like I wanted to rip all my hair out, I’d read this, and it really helped!

Many thanks to Ashley Bartoletti Photography for sharing these lovely images, and to Amanda for sharing all of the details with us. I LOVE that quote that Amanda mentioned! Isn’t it so true?? It’s so easy to lose sight of what really matters in the hustle and bustle of wedding planning… but what really matters is you, and your fiance, and spending the rest of your lives together.

Today is an extra special day… my friend Lindsie of the fabulous budget wedding blog Wed4Less Northwest is getting MARRIED today!! Eeeeks!! What’s say we all head over to Lindsie’s blog, twitter, and/or facebook page and leave her some love?? :)

Since I completely dropped the ball on providing Lindsie with a guest post this week, I decided to dedicate today’s post to the beautiful bride. From what I know of Lindsie’s wedding, there is going to be lots of yellow, a vintage vibe, individual stems in bottles, and some super sweet DIY touches. Lindsie’s mom made all of the ties & bow ties for the groomsmen, the boutonnieres, the junior’s bridesmaid dresses, Lindsie’s garters, and all of the tablecloths for the reception! Wow… what an incredible mama.

Anywho, enjoy this inspiration board which is my take on Lindsie’s wedding.

Lindsie, I hope your wedding is everything that you dreamed it would be and MORE! You deserve it!